“It’s a comprehensive program (…) It’s not a matter of ‘if you impose tariffs on me, I’ll impose tariffs on you.’ Our interest is strengthening the Mexican economy, including the automotive industry,” the president asserted before US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements. “We have a plan to strengthen the economy under any circumstances,” she stated at another point in her speech, emphasizing that it is Plan Mexico, and “now we are going to strengthen it further.”

This Wednesday, Trump announced the application of so-called reciprocal tariffs to dozens of nations, but did not establish them for Canada and Mexico, the United States’ partners in the North American Trade Agreement (USMCA), which he did attack in his speech.

As the White House later clarified, Mexican goods covered by the USMCA, through which the majority of trade between the two countries flows, remain tariff-free.

According to what was disclosed by US authorities, importers under the USMCA will only pay the duty on non-US content, and parts that comply with the agreement will remain tariff-free for the time being.

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